The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-07-09
THE VINTAGE OF '85.
A TREASURY CLEnK's srEALINas
In the Horse Claims Dspnrtmsnt-ns Forrss
the Names Of Onicinls to False Claims
n and Scoops In n Nent Sum-wlsn
Arrested he ,fessss UP.

1 = y i -~---~
thing OF sensation was created in III,
Treasury Department this afternoon b,
the discovery that a trusted official in thl
Department had been guiltysoi sys
tematic attempt to deiraud the govern
mont. The officer was arrested at Wilkes
barre yesterday afternoon as he was abou
to take the train for Washington, and biz
dismissal from the service was ordered b,
Secretary Fairchild this afternoon. Hil
namo Is Oscar ]. Harvey, and he hal
been employed In tho Department einct
June, 1885, when he was appointed chic
Of the horse claims division OF the Third
Auditor'n Office. 1t was whIlo he held
this position that 40 perpetrated the
frauds with which he is now charged. On
the ID Of June last, hs-was -translerred Ia
the head Of division In the Second
Comptroller's Office, division which has
charge OF claims OF the same nature as
those in the division which he had Just
left. "A ~ .i 81 q. a., &. f,,7s 4 III 4
Austin Brown, Of Indianapolis, succeed.
ed Harvey as chief Of the horse claims di.
vision, and soon after he took charge oil
the ouics, no discovered the frauds OF
which hia predecessor had been guilty.
This consisted OF the passage OF forty.tlirse
fraudulent claims for horses aSgregating
IS, 200 and the preparation OF many addi-
tional cases Of q similar nature, which
were under consideration In the office.
Soon alter Mr.. Brown tooS charge he dis.
covered something wrong and reported
the matter to the Secretary, and the
frauds have been run down. In most
cases the claims are for horses lost during
the late war aud 'are presented in the
names OF officers Of Pennsylvania and New
Jerssy regiments. p
HOW lie WORKED 1T.
all Of the cases appeared to have been
prosecuted by "W. ". Wynn" fra. OIL
Philadelphia, and then oil Washington,
and heaervicaa OF ~. Q. Manford," not.
ary public, Philadclphis, were called into
requisition in connection with the neces.
sary atiidavita. TLs work involved q
very large number OF foreigners, officials
and other wiso, and the stealing Of numer.
our matchmaking papers from the files oil
the department. For instsnce, in thir.
teen claims 1t was found that signatures
involving the nsmes OF lhirty.eight ellicers
we're iorge,ies. Subsequently it was
found that the Second Auditors
name bad been forged in certificates
received from that eifice, and llao that
none Of the Pennsylvania and New jersey
casOs in which MIR. Wynn was attorney
were entered on the records of that oiiica.
The claims which had been allowed were
then overhauled and in almost every in.
stance it waa found tina. the Second Audi.
tors certificate as to signatures had been
sbatracted together with other papers
The stamp OF the mail room, Third Audi
tors Office, and the stamp OF the horse
claims division had been foeged and the
dates arranged so as to bring thsm within
the Limitation fixed for the filing OF the
claims. Tho stamp Of the Quartermaste,
Generals office wss algo forged.
is'l THE MYTHICAL NorARy.-z.5
Drafts were regularly issued, and an ex.
animation Of such as have been returned
aspaid shows ths. Harvey apd Wynn sre
one aud the same person, and that al.
though the drafts were drawn In favor ol
the claimants the money with one or two
exceptions went directly to Harvey or 10
some Of his relatives. He had secured
their payment by forging the signature oil
the payee and then endorping the draft
with his own name. Manford, the Phila.
delphia notary public, like Wynn the a..
torney, wGs found to be- myth.
Most OF tie notaries aud per-
sons named in the claims gro unknown
to the department. In addition to tho 43
cases passed there have 100 military cssaa
adjusted, aggrsgatius SIC. 900, and there
are atill pending and unstjuated 8S cases
amounting to $4,000, making total OF
l6l fraudulent cases, which might have
eventually been paid but ior the discov-
ery. Harvey left Washington about the
fret inst on-a short vacation aud ss a.
ready stated was arrested as he WIS about
oreturn. He was brought 10 this city by
oiliceLg OF the eac,et service, who have
kept him under surveillance aince he was
first suspected. He asked to $50 the Sec
retery, and when lie was informed Of tho
evidence against him, he broke down
completely aud nale q full confession o!
his euilt. zS5i. Us ,.sj ls W
:: He daclsrcd that he had heen goadsa to
bis action by man with whom no had
been in psrtneyship, aud who urged him
to mako the most OF his opportunities.
He Asserted that he had no accomnlices.
Harvey was hsld In sl2 900 for the Grand
Jury this afternoon.